Drag Race season 17 is proving to have one of the most dynamic casts in the show’s lauded herstory, which means every exit feels like a loss. But perhaps this week’s shantay hit the hardest as walking charisma bomb and talking head extraordinaire Kori King sashayed out of the Werk Room and signed her name on the mirror.
But of course, this Boston-based queen went out with a bang. Or rather with a smooch. All season long, fans have watched as Kori and Lydia Butthole Kollins struck up a Werk Room romance that culminated with a kiss as the two lovers — and rivals — faced off in a “lip sync for your life.” It was all very dramatic. But it was also in keeping with a queen who stomped into the Werk Room in her “tacky drag” and immediately began snatching focus.
While she might not have walked away with the crown, one thing’s for certain: she’s a winner, baby. Kori left the competition not only with a boyfriend (yes, they’re still together) but with a devoted fan base who lived for her antics on the show and are living even more for her presence online. As of this writing, Kori is number one on Cameo, where she’s pumping out the most delightful deranged messages, sometimes dressed as her season 17 sister Suzie Toot, at other times as Michael Jackson. What a time to be alive.
PRIDE caught up with Kori to talk about her time on Drag Race, the tension with Hormona Lisa, being called out by Mama Ru over her shoes, and, of course, that kiss on the main stage.
PRIDE: Congratulations on season 17! You’ve been serving the charisma like you are the C of this season. You’ve made me laugh, your shade has been incredible, and I don’t know what we’re gonna do without your talking heads!
KORI KING: I mean me too. I can’t wait to watch the rest of the season.
I’m curious, as you’re watching it back, how are you feeling about your time on the show?
I feel great. I like every single thing I said, everything I did. I don’t think I would take much back. I love it. Maybe I’m just a narcissist. I love watching this season. I’m obsessed.
We love a queen that stands on business! But you say you wouldn’t take “much” back. Is there a moment you would?
I have bad taste. That’s obvious. I love tacky, tacky drag. So I was buying stuff that I like, and looking back, gosh darn it, I should have just got drag that I don’t like, that they would have loved and I would have been fine. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh my god, I loved your black crow look.’ I was like, ‘I fucking hated that.’ I felt so ugly in it. I felt hideous. But I should have just bought my whole package that looked like that, and that would have been so much better. That’s the only thing I regret. But other than that, no, I don’t regret anything.
I’m glad you were yourself. I want to meet the real you from day one!
That’s how I feel! I’m gonna wear this on the show because that’s why I wear it on tour. There are some girls, in seasons now and past, that will wear these huge, elaborate outfits, and then when they get to the club, they never wearing that again. They’re wearing the same shit I’m wearing. So I’m like, ‘You just lied. You lied for 16 episodes.’ You played us. It’s a facade, because all these runways you have, you ain’t wearing them when we see you. So I didn’t want to be that girl. Whatever, maybe I coulda.
I personally lived, because what I want is the real Kori King experience, and that’s what we got! But one thing I don’t know if we totally got on the show was an understanding of your sense of humor, which really has been shining on your social media. Do you feel like Drag Race just wasn’t the right platform for your kind of humor?
I feel like this happens with any show. It doesn’t truly capture everyone’s nuances. [It’s] not just me, just everyone in the cast. Maybe that’s the design or time of the episode, or we can’t fit everything in. Like Sam [Star], for instance, I feel like just now in the season, people are realizing how funny Sam is, because Sam is so funny… Now that the competition is dwindling, you’re just able to see it.
You also have such a big personality, which initially intimidated the girls when you walked into the Werk Room. How did that feel? Correct?
If you do have a huge, big, loud personality, people are gonna immediately look at you as competition. You’re walking in and being big and loud with this huge wig and this crazy huge clown body. That’s a drag queen, drag queen.
Speaking of walking into the Werk Room, you reallyweren’t featuring Miss Hormona Lisa right away, and I didn’t really understand what happened there, and why you had that instant tension.
I didn’t truly hate her. “Hate” is crazy. Everybody in the comments were always acting like I was over here wanting to, like, hit her with a stick or something, but no. When she first walked in it was just a vibe that I just did not like. It was like a, ‘You guys are lucky I’m here’ type of vibe. But you have to get to know her to understand that’s kind of her schtick. That’s her sense of humor. Once you get that, it’s fine. But the first minute, I was like, ‘Oh, now, girl, we’re done. Uh-uh, chuck it in the bucket. I’m done.’ Now. I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, she’s cool.’
Fair! Obviously, I love this entire cast. This cast is just so incredible —
Really?
Yeah!
Even Suzie? … I’m playing.
[Laughs] This is why I love you. I’m gonna miss you on my TV for moments just like this. Speaking of Miss Suzie Toot, what did she think of your “homage” to her in your Cameos?
Suzie is one of my closest friends in the season. So I was like, ‘Oh, this would be so funny if I get into Suzie Toot drag.’ I got into it, and I FaceTimed her right when I was done, and she gagged. It was so funny. Then doing the cameos, at first I was trying to earnestly do Suzie Toot’s voice. I was trying to talk like her, and then as the Cameos went on, it slowly just turned into Mickey Mouse. I don’t know why.
That’s so funny. Speaking of funny, can we talk about Ru with the shoes? What’s the tea with the shoes? Have they reached out to you? Are you getting a deserved collab with them? How did you feel at that moment?
Okay, so they actually have reached out. Yeah, the magic is happening. I got them because you can only bring so much stuff to Drag Race. I have a dainty size 15 shoe. So I was like, how many shoes can I truly pack? Not only find, but pack and fit in these suitcases. So I brought three or four pairs of the same exact shoe but in different colors. Then I brought other shoes too, but I was like, what if I have to lip sync? I can’t lip-sync in these shoes, so I just kept wearing the same shoe over and over again. In my head, I was like, I want to have this shoe on because if I have to lip sync, I want to be ready.
When Ru called me out I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’ So then the next week, I changed them, but I was like, “I was like these, they’re funny!’
Honestly, when moments like that happen you just gotta lean in!
Oh, that’s what I did. When he called me out on it for the Rusical. I was like, ‘You know what would be funny? If I fucking wear them again.’ So I wore them again, and then everybody’s lookin’ at me like ‘I can’t believe that bitch fucking wore those shoes again.’ I was like, ‘It’s a bit, bitch.’ I know he doesn’t want me to wear them. That’s why I’m wearing them.
Ok, we have to talk about the lip sync and the kiss. Was it spontaneous? Was it planned? Do you hope it might result in a double shantay?
It was not planned. It was very much ‘feel the vibe’. It’s called ‘Kiss Me Deadly.’ Hello, it was common sense. [At] the end of the song, we looked at each other, like, okay... this is what it needs to give. I’m glad that everybody lives for it.
Did I feel like it was going to be a double shantay? No, no, no. They were saving bitches all season. There have been, like, 1,800 saves. Enough. If another double save happens, bitch, please end the season at that point. We’re at like episode 37, ok? We could have filmed like five All Stars by now.
So, no, I did not feel like it was going to be a double save. My casket was closed. I fully knew I was going home. I did not want to send Lydia home either.
I understand you guys are still together, yeah?
Yes, we are. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The Drag Race fandom is pretty intense. How are you guys protecting relationships from everybody wanting to have an opinion?
I really don’t read comments. I really don’t. I don’t typically care. Also, I follow a whole bunch of fans on Twitter. So my feed is just all stan accounts.
To be honest, with Plane Jane in your life, what could a stranger possibly say that could hurt more?
Do you know how I was raised? This is how we talk to each other. If you think I care what some random person says about me — me and Plane bicker every day, so, yeah, I could care less.